The Maiden's Tower, Kız Kulesi in Turkish, stands on a small rock in the water about 200 metres off the Salacak shore of Üsküdar, on the Asian side of Istanbul. It reopened in 2023 after a two-year restoration by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and is now run as a museum and monument. You can only reach it by boat, which is part of the appeal.
Prices, opening hours and boat times below are as of October 2026, taken from the official Maiden's Tower website (kizkulesi.gov.tr) and the Ministry's museum portal (muze.gov.tr).
What it is and a short history
The rock sits where the Bosphorus meets the Sea of Marmara, facing the entrance to the Golden Horn, which made it useful for watching shipping. The official history traces a customs point here to the fifth century BCE. In the 12th century the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos built a defence tower, and a chain was stretched from it towards the shore at Sarayburnu to control ships.
After 1453 Mehmed II built a new castle on the rock. In the 18th century a lantern was added and the tower served mainly as a lighthouse. Most of what you see today dates from 1832–33, under Mahmud II, when the building also became a quarantine hospital during a cholera epidemic. It was leased to a private business for tourism after a restoration in 1995–2000, transferred to the Ministry in 2020, and restored again between 2021 and 2023.
The Turkish name comes from a folk tale about a sultan's daughter kept on the rock to escape a prophecy. In Western languages it is also called Leander's Tower, after the Greek story of Hero and Leander, which 18th-century travellers attached to the tower.
Tickets and prices (as of October 2026)
| Ticket | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance ticket | €27 | Includes the museum ticket and audio guide |
| Boat transfer | €8 | Charged on top of the entrance ticket |
| Total without a pass | €35 | Entrance plus boat |
| Museum Pass Türkiye holders | ₺110 | Entry free; boat fee still payable |
Tickets are sold through the Ministry's official e-ticket system at muze.gov.tr. The Müzekart, the museum card for Turkish citizens, is also valid for entry, again with the ₺110 boat fee on top.
Opening hours and boat timetable
The Maiden's Tower is open every day from 09:00 to 18:00, and the box office closes at 17:00 (as of October 2026). There is no weekly closing day, which makes it a good option on a Monday, when Dolmabahçe Palace and some other museums are shut.
Boats leave from two piers. The Salacak (Harem) pier on the Üsküdar shore is the closest, a few minutes across the water. The Karaköy pier, in front of the Ziraat Bank building on the European side, suits visitors staying around Galata or the old city.
| Pier | Departures to the tower | Last boat back |
|---|---|---|
| Salacak (Üsküdar) | 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, then every 30 minutes until 17:00 | 17:45 |
| Karaköy | 09:30, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:30, 17:00 | 17:45 |
What to expect and how long to spend
The visit itself is compact. With the boat ride, an hour to an hour and a half is enough to go through the exhibition rooms with the audio guide, climb to the upper levels and walk the terrace around the tower. The views take in the old city skyline, the mouth of the Bosphorus and the Asian shore.
- Best time: a morning boat is usually calmer; the last departures fill up in the late afternoon.
- Sunset: the tower closes at 18:00, so for sunset photos stay on the Salacak waterfront afterwards, which faces west towards the old city.
- Families: under-18s must be accompanied by a parent, according to the official visitor information.
- Footwear: expect stairs and stone floors inside the tower.
Nearby: Üsküdar and the Bosphorus
Salacak is a 10–15 minute walk along the shore from central Üsküdar, one of the oldest districts on the Asian side. Around the ferry square are two Ottoman mosques worth a look: the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque by the pier and the small Şemsi Pasha Mosque on the water, both works of the architect Sinan. Further north lie the quiet streets of Kuzguncuk and Beylerbeyi Palace.
From Üsküdar, ferries cross to Beşiktaş in a few minutes, which makes it easy to pair the tower with Dolmabahçe Palace, then continue north along the European shore to Ortaköy and Bebek. If you would rather not juggle ferries, we can arrange a private driver by the hour in a Private Mercedes Vito from $40 per hour, minimum 3 hours, or a private Istanbul day tour. Book an hourly driver or message us on WhatsApp at +90 507 055 44 36.
How to get to the Maiden's Tower
From Istanbul Airport
Üsküdar is about 52 km from Istanbul Airport (IST) and the drive crosses the Bosphorus. Our fixed-price Istanbul Airport to Üsküdar transfer costs $75 with a Private Mercedes Vito or $85 with a VIP Mercedes Vito, per vehicle for up to 6 passengers, tolls included. Allow 55–85 minutes depending on traffic. Flying into Sabiha Gökçen instead? See the Sabiha Gökçen to Üsküdar route.
From Sultanahmet, Galata or Taksim
From the European side, the simplest option is the official boat from Karaköy. Alternatively, take a public ferry from Eminönü, Karaköy or Beşiktaş to Üsküdar, or the Marmaray rail line under the Bosphorus to Üsküdar station, then walk south along the shore to the Salacak pier.
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